Cuts » the NLCS at Wrigley Field, eliminating the Dodgers, and

Here are some things to watch when the Big 12 Conference wraps its regular season in Week 14, when the other Power Five conferences play their championship games:GAME OF THE WEEKNo. 11 Oklahoma State (9-2, 7-1 Big 12, No. 10 CFP) at No. 7 Oklahoma (9-2, 8-0 Big 12, No. 9 CFP). A year before the league reinstates its title game, the Bedlam rivalry serves as a de facto Big 12 championship game for the second year in a row. Neither team has lost since September. The winner will be the Big 12 champion and head to the Sugar Bowl to face an SEC team. The Sooners are going for their 10th Big 12 title while trying to become the first team to go undefeated in league play since going to a round-robin schedule in 2011. Oklahoma has an eight-game winning streak; the Cowboys have won seven in a row.BEST MATCHUPTCU coach and Kansas State alum Gary Patterson vs. the Wildcats. While Patterson sets a TCU record when he coaches his 202nd game, K-State coach Bill Snyder goes for his 201st victory. In Big 12 games this season, Kansas State is averaging 30.6 points a game, and TCU 30.5. On defense, Pattersons squad allows 27.9 points per game, and the Wildcats give up 27.2 a game. TCU (6-5, 4-4 Big 12) got bowl eligible with its win last week over Texas. The Wildcats (7-4, 5-3) will finish no lower than fourth in the Big 12 after being a preseason pick for eighth.INSIDE THE NUMBERSSnyder (200 wins), Oklahomas Bob Stoops (188) and Patterson (149) are 1-2-3 among active FBS coaches for wins at their current schools. ... Baylor (6-5, 3-5) got bowl eligible with its 6-0 start, but goes to West Virginia with a five-game losing streak, the Bears longest since dropping nine in a row -- the last eight games of the 2007 season and then the 2008 opener. ... Texas junior running back DOnta Foreman will finish his college career with a school-record 13 consecutive 100-yard games. Foreman said hes skipping his senior season after rushing for 2,028 yards and 15 TDs this year.LONG SHOTThe Big 12 getting into the four-team College Football Playoff since Oklahoma is ninth and Oklahoma State 10th in the latest CFP rankings. Defending national champion Alabama and Ohio State, which won first CFP title two seasons ago, are 1-2 and seem almost certain locks for the field. Also ranked ahead of the Big 12 teams are potential ACC champion Clemson, and the four teams that will play in the Big Ten and Pac-12 championship games.IMPACT PERFORMERMartell Pettaway was going to redshirt at West Virginia (9-2, 6-2) -- until the 11th game this season. With injuries to other running backs, the freshman made his Mountaineers debut with 181 yards on 30 carries last week at Iowa State.---Compiled by AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins in Fort Worth, Texas.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 Discount Air Max Plus . 1, meaning problems for the doping controls at both major international sports events next year. The World Anti-Doping Agency provisionally suspended the Moscow Antidoping Center on Sunday, saying its operations must improve or a six-month ban on the facilitys accreditation will be imposed. Cheap Air Max Plus China . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. http://www.clearanceairmaxplus.com/ . Luis Suarezs double powered Liverpool to a 4-0 victory over Fulham, and Southampton easily overcame Hull 4-1 to continue the south coast clubs impressive start to the season. Liverpool and Southampton sent Chelsea down to fourth place as the west London club was held to 2-2 at home. Air Max Plus Clearance . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury. Air Max Plus Wholesale . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. It all started with a dubious decision that drew heavy criticism: Baltimore manager Buck Showalter left stud closer Zach Britton in the bullpen and lost the AL wild-card game at Toronto.The next night, Giants ace Madison Bumgarner authored another October masterpiece to knock out the Mets -- and the 2016 playoffs were off and running.Seems so long ago, but it was only a month on the calendar.One captivating month.Baseballs storybook postseason offered almost everything: unlikely stars, 4-hour games, even a rain delay in extra innings during the dramatic World Series finale.And when it was over, the Chicago Cubs -- yes, finally, the Cubs -- had their first championship since 1908 after outlasting Cleveland 8-7 early Thursday in a Game 7 that took 10 innings.Here are some other highlights, themes and takeaways from an October/November to remember:---RELIEF ROLES REDEFINEDSome wonder whether we just saw the beginning of a baseball revolution. Lights-out relievers like Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen werent necessarily saved for the eighth or ninth inning of critical games. Miller entered as early as the fifth, Chapman in the seventh, as managers summoned their best bullpen arms for longer outings and asked them to face top hitters or pitch out of potential jams earlier than usual.Almost as if nobody wanted to make the same mistake Showalter did.Its a strategy long supported by the sabermetrics crowd, but would it work during the regular season when there arent as many days off to rest and recover?Of course, its possible. You just have to have the right guy. I mean, its not as easy as it looks, what theyve been doing, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said during the World Series. The point of diminishing returns, I think, would set in if you try to push it from Day One.So right now, its really being glamorized a bit, he added. This isnt Fantasy Baseball. These guys are human. They only have so many abilities to throw a baseball within the year.KEEP ON CHASINGWhile the Cubs at last ended baseballs longest championship drought, several other teams are still trying to get over the hump.The Nationals are 0 for 3 in playoff series since moving to Washington, and Texas has never won the World Series despite five postseason appearances in seven years.dddddddddddd. The big-budget Dodgers havent even reached the Series since Orel Hershiser, Kirk Gibson & Co. won in 1988. Toronto came up short again, losing the AL Championship Series for the second consecutive year. And the Indians, of course, came oh-so close to their first title since 1948.BREAKOUT TALENTSSome of the most exciting performances came from players in their early 20s. Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor, Cubs second baseman Javier Baez (NLCS co-MVP) and Washington rookie Trea Turner were among those who turned heads. The future looks bright for all three.UNSUNG STARSBig names such as Kris Bryant, Jose Bautista and Adrian Gonzalez had their moments. But the postseason also belonged to near-unknowns like Ezequiel Carrera (Toronto), Conor Gillaspie (San Francisco) and Ryan Merritt (Cleveland).THE ARTFUL DODGEROnce again, Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw entered October looking to put a history of playoff failures behind him. The three-time Cy Young Award winner pitched on short rest whenever needed and went 2-1 with a huge save, but was far from overwhelming. He lost 5-0 in Game 6 of the NLCS at Wrigley Field, eliminating the Dodgers, and is 4-7 with a 4.55 ERA in the postseason. Hardly numbers befitting the best pitcher in baseball.FAREWELL, FELLASRather than a World Series coronation, David Ortiz got an early exit. His illustrious career came to a sudden conclusion when Boston was swept by Cleveland in their AL Division Series. Planning to retire, Big Papi walked back out to the mound, waved his cap and soaked up a standing ovation from the Fenway Park faithful.Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully took a curtain call at Dodger Stadium during the NLCS. The 88-year-old announcer, weeks after ending his 67-year career behind the microphone, attended as a spectator and proclaimed, Its time for Dodger baseball! from an upstairs suite.And 39-year-old catcher David Ross homered in his big league finale to help Chicago win Game 7 of the World Series. In a rare and heartwarming scene, the wildly popular Grandpa Rossy was carried off the field on the shoulders of his teammates.What a way to say goodbye. ' ' '